BCM Community

I need to get a new CO detector.  On my last trip my CO detector started beeping like the battery was dead even though the battery was just a few days old.  We tested the battery and it was good.  We went without the rest of the trip.  We don't have any anything that burns gasoline or propane so we figured we were good.  Also not parked near anyone with gasoline or propane stuff.

Any recommendations for a new one?  Is there any reason I need one specifically for a RV?  Menards had an Atwood one specifically approved for RVs that they put in the clearance section.  I'll check there, but it is long shot if they still have any.

 A while back someone posted with problem like yours..turned out to be several possible causes in cluding some household cleaner,sewer gasses and battery gases when charging.I think Jim Shepard figured it out......It did the same thing with a new detector....prob was solved

The problems with my CO detector led me to a bunch of research and then an article the is published in the October issue of BCM.

The really scary thing is that my older CO detector failed to report issues BUT  it seemed to pass the test cycle.  It left me completely unprotected!!!!  AND I also used it in the house since my furnace is over 30 years old.

Turns out that CO detectors have a pretty short life.  Kidde says that they should be replaced every three to five years!!!  They are now designed to tell you that they have exceeded their life.

There are said to be RV specific CO detectors, but when you dig a bit, the major supplier (Atwood) is really selling a Kidde house type unit with a PBL label. 

My conclusion was to get a Kidde house type unit with a digital read out.  Can find at many box stores.  The digital read out is important for folks with health issue related to breathing.  CO detectors must report CO at levels of 70 PPM over a specific unit of time.  Folks who smoke or who have breathing issues can have CO levels in their blood that will cause problems before the detector will sound an alarm thus the need for a digital readout so that you can see lower levels of CO

CO detectors and the whole CO issue is really complex and kind of scary.

CO detectors are really important this time of year.  Our buses  have really small volumes and many forms of heating have the potential for generating CO.

Jim

Mine wasn't alarming, just beeping once a minute or something like that.  I guess I should check the manual to see what that means exactly.  I suppose it could mean a low level of CO or something, but nothing was running that generates CO.  The water heater is electric and I don't burn any fuel for heat right now.  Generator wasn't running and batteries are sealed AGM.  (A battery could have blown a vent and I should check that.)

I'll get a new CO detector and see if it detects anything.  I should put the battery back in the other one and see what it says too.  The detector is four years old so maybe it has an automatic end of life alert.  My Kidde detectors in my house start beeping 7 years after power up and the only fix is a replacement.  (At $42 each my home ones are not cheap to replace.)